What’s That Smell? What To Do When You Smell Molds At Home

You walk into your home at the end of the day, and it hits you. Ugh—that awful smell. After a few minutes, you get used to the smell and it stops bothering you, but the next day, you smell molds at home again. What is that wet, moldy smell, and where is it coming from?

If you can’t identify the source of the problem right away, there’s a good chance you have moisture problems in your basement. Whatever the source of the problem, moisture provides ideal growing conditions for the mold and mildew that is likely causing the smell.

Aside from the unpleasant smell, mold and mildew can release toxic spores into the air and endanger your family’s health.

There are three primary sources of excess moisture in your basement:

Condensation

Runoff

Subsurface Water

Condensation, also called sweating, occurs when moist air in the house contacts the cool walls and floors of the basement, causing the moisture to condense and pool.

Runoff is the most common cause of foundation moisture problems, and it results from rainwater or melted snow that isn’t properly routed away from the house. Runoff near the base of the foundation can find its way into your house through cracks or gaps in the foundation wall.

Subsurface water finds its way into your home in the same way that runoff water does. The difference is that subsurface water is a year round problem caused by unusually high water tables near your property. Runoff, on the other hand, is usually only a problem immediately after a rain or snow storm.

If you suspect that you have moisture problems in your basement, you should contact a foundation repair company right away. A good foundation repair company will be able to quickly identify the problem and provide mold remediation services to ensure that all the dangerous organic matter in your basement has been removed.

After mold remediation, the next steps are to talk about water proofing your foundation, and if necessary, providing more permanent water management solutions to ensure that water is properly draining away from your foundation.